As Way Opens
Ever since Meeting for Worship this past Sunday, I have had people asking me about the New Year’s Resolutions I shared at the end of my sermon. After worship I posted on our Facebook pages the full blog post from Wendy Swallow, blog editor of Reno Friends Meeting. (Here is a link to the full post: https://www.renofriends.org/new-years-resolutions-for-the-spirit/).
Due to the fact that some of you do not participate in social media (or have resolved not to in 2020), I have included Wendy’s resolutions below. As I mentioned in my sermon, I believe as Quakers, our first resolution must be an inward journey. For me, that journey included seeking an answer to Wendy’s original query, “How can I move forward in the New Year with a more solid foundation for my spirit so that I can bring my best self to the world?” Her well-articulated resolutions not only spoke to my condition, but will help foster a sense of direction, guidance, and hopeful possibilities for the New Year. My hope is they will do the same for you.
1. I will take advantage of the Silence to reconsider my choices around work and commitments. Which things are most important? Am I being realistic in the projects I take on? Can I still contribute while doing a bit less and giving myself more time to regroup and refresh?
2. I will take advantage of the Silence to reassess my energy and my gifts. Am I honoring my strengths by taking on commitments that line up with what I can do competently and happily? Can I give in these ways without depleting myself?
3. I will spend time with people who lift me up. I will intentionally seek them out and connect with them.
4. If a new commitment arises, I will give myself permission to sit with it and ask for spiritual guidance before jumping in. I will respond to my spirit and heart, rather than to the chorus of “shoulds” in my head.
5. I will give myself time for a hobby or activity that makes me happy and relaxed. The goal is to do something I’m interested in, and to do it without judgement.
6. I will take time to sit in silence and listen to God, especially when things turn difficult. If a bad day is unfolding, I will retreat for a half hour to calm my heart and listen to what arises. I will practice lifting problems into the Light so I can understand them better.
7. I will make things simpler. When given a choice, I’ll try the doable way and learn to accept help gracefully. I will save my energy for the most important things.
8. I will take an occasional retreat day: Every now and then (maybe once a week), I will give myself a day off without deadlines or engagements, to read, relax and do easy chores. This will give me time to reconnect with my happy self.
9. I will take time to consider my faith journey and deepen my connection with Spirit through readings or retreats or gatherings that expand my faith experience.
10. I will take advantage of the Silence to ask myself: what would I do if I were not afraid? I will think of new ways to deal with recurrent problems, and try to imagine a life lived fearlessly.
Happy New Year,
Bob
Joys & Concerns
A delayed “Thank You” to our Food Pantry volunteers from Wednesday, December 18th: Bill F, Dan H, David B, Linda and Rik L, Beth F, Mara S, Phil G, Carol & Jim D. 103 families were provided food by the First Friends volunteers that week. A big Thank You to all First Friends’ volunteers during 2019 without whom this outreach would not be possible!
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Women’s Gathering This Sunday ~ All women are invited to join us in the parlor after worship this Sunday, January 12, for lunch, sharing and discussion. Please RSVP with the office if you plan to attend—office@indyfriends.org or 317-255-2485.
Youth Group this Sunday ~ A reminder that this Sunday, January 12 will be Youth Group in the basement at 11:30 am. We hope all our youth will be there!
We now have a NEW Online Directory! We are thrilled to share our new mobile/online directory. This directory, provided by Lifetouch, includes photos from the recently released pictorial directory, and will always include the most up-to-date information the office has. All are welcome and encouraged to use it! You can find the directory here: https://mobiledirectory.lifetouch.com/318079/first-friends-church. Be sure to bookmark it! It is compatible on both computer and cell phone. For privacy reasons, it is password protected. Please phone the office at 317-255-2485 to get the password. This is a great option if you’re on-the-go, can’t find your directory, or if you need info when the office is closed. We hope you will enjoy this convenient directory option!
Help Care for Our Organ! The organ needs to have its leathers worked on. When the organ work was done 4 years ago, we did not have this done. It is now time to have this work done. We need to have this done before we lose all or some of the organ. I (Mindy) think Jenny M (choir member) says it all:
Several years ago when I could stand to speak in silent worship I recited this:
“Bach gave us God’s Word
Mozart gave us God’s Laughter
Beethoven gave us God’s Fire
God gave us Music that we might pray without words.”
We are blessed to have an exceptional organist in Shawn who consecrates us weekly with prayers of joy, prayers of sorrow, prayers of meditation and prayers of thanksgiving through the organ. I need music, organ music, to paint the silence of my worship, to connect me to others and to God. I am thankful I can come to First Friends and no matter the problems of the week, be filled with God’s word, laughter and fire through beautiful organ music.
Donations to help complete this organ work can be dropped in the offering plate or sent to the First Friends office.
Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, January 16 at 7:00pm. See Winter/Spring 2020 locations here: http://bit.ly/ThreshingSpr2020.
January Happy Singing Songs ~ Third Friday Sing Along is flying toward us: January 17th at 7:00pm in the Parlor. Jim K will be choosing the songs and projecting at least some of them onto screen, as he did at Christmas. I (Linda) will now be a helper for Jim along with Jesse and Luke, but step back as far as organizing music. Curious? Enjoy singing? Come Sing Along!
Western Yearly Meeting – New Vision! As part of WYM’s visioning process, a listening meeting will be held at Indianapolis First Friends on Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 3:30 p.m. in the Parlor. The meeting will be conducted by Margaret Fraser, the consultant hired by WYM. This session is open for anyone to attend! Here’s what to expect:
• Listening Sessions are approximately one hour long.
• Gather in a circle.
• Margaret (our facilitator) asks five questions and sets the timer to ensure time for each.
• People are asked to speak just once until everyone has had an opportunity.
• A designated note taker writes down responses, and Margaret makes notes, too.
• Everyone is asked to sign an attendance list to see which Meetings are represented.
• We are careful to make sure that answers are recorded, but not attributed to any specific person.
• The aim is to build up a picture of what’s on the hearts of people in WYM.
We hope everyone will attend and share to improve WYM. Please join us!
Martin Luther King Jr Service! All are invited to this Shalom Zone celebration service and community luncheon honoring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It will be held on Martin Luther King Jr Day, Monday, January 20, 2020 at 11:00am at Cross and Crown Lutheran Church, 5233 East 79th St, 46250. Our guest preacher will be Rev. Dr. Charlestonfontaine Macon, Sr Pastor of Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Indianapolis. Everyone is welcome to this free event. For more information, find the flyer at http://bit.ly/2rlcBFU. We hope you will join us!
Touring, Trekking, and Mounaineering in the Himalayas ~ Jeff Rasley will be giving a talk and slide show about touring, trekking, and climbing in the Himalayas at REI Castleton, Indianapolis on Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30 p.m. REI is located at 8520 Castleton Corner Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46250. It is free and open to the public, but REI requests you register at https://www.rei.com/events/94908/touring-trekking-and-mounaineering-in-the-himalayas/267185. There are limited spots remaining! We hope to see you there.
Experiment with Light ~ Friends, our monthly Experiment with the Light (EWL) is Tuesday, January 21, at 7 pm in the parlor. All are welcome, whether this is your first time or you’re a regular. Attenders find it a remarkable experience. Please join us. We begin promptly at 7 pm and end at 8:30. Peace and love, ~Mary Ellen L.
January Monthly Meeting Notice ~ Due to the WYM visioning meeting being held at First Friends on January 19th at 3:30 pm, Meeting for Business will be held after worship on Sunday, January 26th in the parlor. Please mark your calendars accordingly!
Join us at the Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club as we discuss The Overstory, by Richard Powers on Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of―and paean to―the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours―vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe (from Goodreads). Linda L will be leading the discussion in the Parlor starting at 7 pm. If you’d like to receive the Oak Leaf email, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Family Bowling ~ Please join us for a bowling party hosted by the Christian Education Committee. It will be Sunday, February 2nd after worship at Woodland Bowl, 3421 E 96th St. First Friends will provide 2 games, shoe rental, pizza and drinks for everyone. Please RSVP with the office at office@indyfriends.org.
FWCC Sustainability: An Online Conference with Friends Worldwide ~ All are invited to join Quakers around the world to gather the Quaker voice on sustainability. It is being held online on Saturday, February 22, 2020; there will be an online conference spanning 11 hours. You will be able to join one of three start times, for a duration of 3 hours. These start times include 9:00am and 11:00am EST. Each start time will have 45 minutes of videos with 5 speakers. The speakers will come from each of the four FWCC sections and represent diversity of Quaker traditions, ages, and gender in order to represent the fullness of who we are across the world. After hearing from the speakers, there will be two hours for worship sharing. For more information and to register, please visit http://fwcc.world/sustainability/conference2020.